Safety & Compliance

Truck Fatal Accident Rate Drops

November 2, 1998
• by Staff

Nov. 3 – Figures released last week by the Federal Highway Administration showed the fatal accident rate for large trucks fell slightly in 1997. The rate dropped from 2.41 per 100 million miles in 1996 to 2.39 per 100 million miles last year.Large truck involvement in fatal accidents also decreased, falling from 2.60 to 2.55 incidents per 100 million miles.American Trucking Assns. President Walter McCormick noted that the data contradicts a claim made by Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf that fatality rates for large trucks increased in 1997. Wolf made the remarks while trying to get a measure passed that would move oversight of the trucking industry from FHWA to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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